8/01/2009

Russia’s 70-year experience with communism, by no means a walk in the park, naturally forfeited, for both men and women, any questions concerning the right to vote. Nevertheless, the system did provide some attractive perks that helped to advance the condition of women without the need for unsightly marches and protests.

There was no distinction between genders when it came to receiving an education. And upon graduation, men and women (with some glaring exceptions in favor of the males, easily discernible on May Day in Red Square, and even more visibly in the kitchen) enjoyed equal opportunities. A heavily subsidized educational system, complete with daycare centers for infants and children, gave both the mother and the father the freedom to advance themselves. In some strange ways, communism was a boon for the women and a bust for the men.

Russian women ran a totally different social gauntlet than their female counterparts in the West. And now it must be asked: is ‘domestic politics’ between the genders in Russia healthier today for the experience? Russian men and women enjoy a natural, fluid relationship that requires no special Women’s History college course to comprehend.

Yes, Russians could chuckle through a self-help book like, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but chances are they would never feel the need to write it.

Moreover, Russian women seem to feel completely at ease with themselves, and more importantly, their femininity. The female body is not concealed like a horrible scar, but rather decorated, accentuated and put on parade for every eye to behold.

Nobody will point and stare at a sexy woman in Russia for exposing a bit too much leg. In Russia, if you’ve got it, there is absolutely no problem to flaunt it. An object of male desire? Undoubtedly. But somehow Russian women manage to navigate the slippery road of being attractive without sliding into the wall of oppression. They are at the controls of their womanhood and the miniskirt and high heels only adds to the sense of their feminine powers that no man has been able to fully explain.